Waste disposer



Oct. 6, 1964 E. L. OHM: 3,151,815

WASTE DISPOSER Filed Jan. 19, 1962 United States Patent "ice 3,151,815 WASTE DISPOSER Edward L. Ohinre, Arlington Heights, Ill., assignor to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 167,250 6 Claims. (Cl. 241-186) This invention relates to waste disposers and in particular to food waste disposers of the type arranged for installation in a kitchen sink.

A serious problem arising in the conventional food waste disposers is the reduction in the efficiency thereof resulting from the throwing of the ground waste material and water upwardly along the wall of the grinding chamber. Resultingly, a substantially longer time is required to grind the waste material as a substantial portion thereof is thusly held on the wall surface rather than immediately falling back into the grinding means.

This problem is a relatively serious problem in waste disposers wherein the chamber housing has a relatively smooth inner wall surface. It is aggravated in those conventional disposers wherein spiral grooves are provided in the grinding chamber wall as waste material such as bone chips and the like may be driven forcibly, and thereby wedged, into the grooves. As a result of this wedging, the apparatus becomes jammed and inoperative.

The present invention comprehends a new and improved food waste disposer eliminating the above discussed disadvantages of the conventional disposers. Thus, a principal feature of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved food waste disposer provided with means for precluding the substantial upward movement of the ground waste material and water along the grinding chamber wall.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of such a food waste disposer wherein the grinding chamber Wall is provided with a plurality of vertically spaced downwardly facing annular shoulders for deflecting downwardly matter thrown upwardly along the grinding chamber wall.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of such a food waste disposer wherein the inner diameter of the annular shoulders is decreased progressively in the respectively upwardly disposed shoulders.

A still further feature of the invention is the provision of such a food waste disposer wherein the grinding chamber wall is stepped to have progressively smaller upwardly related portions, thereby defining a plurality of downwardly facing shoulders of progressively upwardly decreasing internal diameter.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation of a food waste disposer embodying the invention with the upper portion thereof illustrated in diametric vertical section.

FIGURE 2 is a partial section view taken along line 22 of FIGURE 1.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention disclosed in FIGURE 1, a food waste disposer generally designated 10 is provided with a lower portion 11 including an upwardly opening cup-shaped housing 12 having an outturned flange 13 at its upper end, and housing a conventional electric drive motor 14. The shaft 14' of the drive motor 14 carries at its upper end a conventional flywheel 15, which rotates adjacent shredder ring 16 as will be further explained herein.

Upstanding from flange 13 of the lower housing 12 is a generally tubular housing 17 which encloses the shredder ring 16 and defines, immediately upwardly thereof, a grinding chamber 18. The upper end 19 of the housing 17 is provided with means suitable for supporting 3 i 5 l ,8 l5 Patented Oct. 6, 1964 the disposer in attachment with a conventional sink flange 20. The supporting means include sink flange 29, lower mounting flange 21, upper mounting ring 22, screws 23 and 24, and resilient closure 25. As shown, a cover 26 may be removably installed in sink flange 26. Thus, the tubular housing 17 is arranged to receive water from the kitchen tap through the upper end thereof for mixing with the Waste material in the grinding device.

The invention herein comprehends an improved arrangement of the tubular housing 17 wherein the water and ground waste material in the chamber 18 are precluded from moving upwardly along the entire length of the housing wall defining the grinding chamber. More specifically, the lower end of the housing 17 comprises a delivery portion 28 having an outturned flange 29 adapted to be facially secured to the flange 13 of the lower housing 12 by suitable means such as bolts 39. At one side, the lower portion 28 of the housing 17 is provided with an outlet 31 for delivering the ground waste material through an elbow 32 to a suitable waste line (not shown).

Upstanding from lower portion 28 is a wall portion generally designated 33 which defines the grinding chamber 18. As shown, the Wall portion 33 comprises a plurality of vertically related sections, herein three sections 34, 35 and 36, which terminate at their upper ends in inturned shoulders 37, 38 and 39 respectively. The shoulders thusly comprise annular downwardly facing surfaces of progressively decreasing diameter serving to deflect back downwardly water and waste particles thrown up along the wall portion 33 by the flywheel 15. To facilitate the downward deflection, the inner surface of each of the sections 34, 35 and 36 is preferably slightly frusto-conical narrowing upwardly, thereby effectively preventing the clinging of the water and ground particles thereto.

To effectively prevent rotation of the water and ground particles circumferentially along the wall sections 34 and 35 as a result of the rotative force of the flywheel 15 applied thereto, a flat portion 40 may be provided at one point on section 34 and a similar flat portion 41 may be provided at a corresponding point on section 35. Thus, flat portions 49 and 41, shown in the partial bottom view of FIGURE 2, tend to prevent a continuous rotation of the body of water and ground particles carried therein along these two sections thereby assuring the quick dropping of the water and particles back into the grinding device for further grinding.

Thus, tubular housing 17 provides an improved expedited return of thrown waste particles assuring a quick grinding thereof and delivery in ground form through the outlet 31 and elbow 32 to the waste line. Further, the arrangement of Wall portion 33 of the housing 17 effectively precludes clinging of particles and the like to the wall, maintaining the housing wall substantially clean at all times and effectively precluding jamming of the grinding device as may occur in the known disposers wherein food particles and the like may collect on the Wall surfaces.

In use, the housewife firstly removes the cover 26 and then urges the waste material downwardly through the sink flange 2% while at the same time delivering a quantity of water from the tap. The motor 14 is energized by suitable means (not shown) whereupon the flywheel 15 rotates within shredder ring 16 to grind the waste material, permitting it to be flushed through the outlet 31 and drain 32. By virtue of the improved wall structure 33, the grinding action is quickly and efiiciently effected, providing substantial improvement and efliciency in the operation of the disposer.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore in the con- :39 struction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The embodiment of the invention in which an exelusive property or pnivilege is claimed is as follows:

1. In a waste disposer having a rotary grinding means, means for delivering waste to the grinding means, comprising: a generally tubular housing having an upper inlet portion, a lower delivery portion juxtaposed to the grinding means, and a wall portion extending upwardly from said lower portion and defining a grinding chamber, said wall portion having a plurality of vertically spaced, downwardly facing annular shoulders each extending approximately 360 in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of said tubular housing for positively stopping movement of matter thrown upwardly along said wall portion and deflecting downwardly the matter thrown upwardly along said wall portion by the grinding means.

2. In a waste disposer having a rotary grinding means, means for delivering waste to the grinding means, comprising: a generally tubular housing having an upper inlet portion, a lower delivery portion juxtaposed to the grinding means, and a wall portion extending upwardly from the lower portion and defining a grinding chamber, said wall portion having a plurality of vertically spaced, downwardly facing annular shoulders each extending approximately 360 in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of said tubular housing for positively stopping movement of matter thrown upwardly along said wall portion and deflecting downwardly the matter thrown upwardly along said wall portion by the grinding means, the minimum inner diameter of the respective shoulders successively upwardly decreasing.

3. In a waste disposer having a rotary grinding means, means for delivering Waste to the grinding means, comprising: a generally tubular housing having an upper inlet portion, a lower delivery portion juxtaposed to the grinding means, a wall portion extending upwardly from the lower portion and defining a grinding chamber, said wall portion having a plurality of vertically spaced, downwardly facing annular shoulders each extending approximately 360 in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of said tubular housing for positively stopping movement of matter thrown upwardly along said wall portion and deflecting downwardly the matter thrown upwardly along said wall portion by the grinding means, and a flat portion extending inwardly from said wall portion to preclude annular movement of matter along the wall portion.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein a plurality of flat portions are provided on said wall portion one each below successive shoulders.

5. In a waste disposer having a rotary grinding means, means for delivering waste to the grinding means, comprising: a generally tubular housing having an upper inlet portion, a lower delivery portion juxtaposed to the grinding means, and a wall portion extending upwardly from the lower portion and defining a grinding chamber, said wall portion having a plurality of vertically spaced, down wardly facing annular shoulders each extending approximately 360 in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of said tubular housing for positively stopping movement of matter thrown upwardly along said wall portion and deflecting downwardly the matter thrown upwardly along said wall portion by the grinding means, said shoulders successively defining therebelow sections of said Wall portion, the inner wall surface of said sections being frusto-conical narrowing upwardly.

6. In a waste disposer having a rotary grind-ing means, means for delivering waste to the grinding means, comprising: a generally tubular housing having an upper inlet portion, a lower delivery portion juxtaposed to the grinding means, a wall portion extending upwardly from the lower portion and defining a stepped, upwardly narrowing grinding chamber, said wall portion having a plurality of vertically spaced, downwardly facing annular shoulders each extending approximately 360 in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of said tubular housing for positively stopping movement of matter thrown upwardly along said wall portion and deflecting downwardly the matter thrown upwardly along said wall portion by the grinding means, the minimum inner diameter of the respective shoulders successively upwardly decreasing, said shoulders successively defining therebelow sections of said wall portion, the inner wall surfaces of said sections being frusto-conical narrowing upwardly, and a flat portion extending inwardly from said wall portion to preclude annular movement of matter along the wall portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,476,630 Schindler July 19, 1949 2,909,333 Shewmon et al Oct. 20, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 502,784 Great Britain Mar. 24, 1939 

1. IN A WASTE DISPOSER HAVING A ROTARY GRINDING MEANS, MEANS FOR DELIVERING WASTE TO THE GRINDING MEANS, COMPRISING: A GENERALLY TUBULAR HOUSING HAVING AN UPPER INLET PORTION, A LOWER DELIVERY PORTION JUXTAPOSED TO THE GRINDING MEANS, AND A WALL PORTION EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID LOWER PORTION AND DEFINING A GRINDING CHAMBER, SAID WALL PORTION HAVING A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED, DOWNWARDLY FACING ANNULAR SHOULDERS EACH EXTENDING APPROXIMATELY 360* IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF SAID TUBULAR HOUSING FOR POSITIVELY STOPPING MOVEMENT OF MATTER THROWN UPWARDLY ALONG SAID WALL PORTION AND DEFLECTING DOWNWARDLY THE MATTER THROWN UPWARDLY ALONG SIDE WALL PORTION BY THE GRINDING MEANS. 